5 REASONS YOU'RE NOT IMPROVING IN RUNNING

If you've been running for a while and it seems like you're not improving I may be able to help you to pinpoint the culprit. There a few reasons that you may not be improving in running.

YOU ONLY RUN

If you've spent any time on this site you know I am a huge proponent of strength training for runners. When you run you only move in one direction - forward, which can lead to muscle imbalances and weaknesses. You don't have to spend hours in the gym, but working in some quick strength and flexibility training in all planes of motion will go a long way in helping you improve and remain injury free. 

YOU'RE NOT RUNNING ENOUGH

If you want to be a better runner, you have to run more. You have to consistently put in the work over time. If you are inconsistent or only running once or twice a week then improvements will come slow or not at all. Commit to a running/training plan and follow through. If you need a coach to guide you through, I'm here to help. 

YOU ONLY RUN AT ONE PACE

If you run at the same pace every day you are training your body to conserve calories and glycogen (carbs) in the muscles. This is good for long distance running because this is why you're able to cross the finish line. However, if you want to improve and run faster you'll need to train to run faster by adding in intervals, fartleks and/or hills into your training. The key is to have a variety of workouts that train the different exergy systems. Slow runs have an important place in your schedule but they should not be the only workouts that you do. 

YOU DON'T REST

I'd argue that rest days are one of the most important parts of your training plan. You body adapts and improves during rest, not during the workout. So if you don't rest, you don't allow your body the recovery it needs to repair and rebuild. You can't beat your body into submission. Work hard, rest hard. Plan one or two full rest days (or more if you need it) in your training schedule each week for best results. 

YOUR LIFESTYLE

Take a look at your lifestyle including your sleeping habits, nutrition and stress. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, excessive alcohol intake and stress can all be factors in a poor or stagnant performance. Consider your lifestyle outside of running and evaluate if you need to make improvements. A good night sleep and proper nutrition can make a world of difference in your training. 

Take a good hard look at these factors to determine if you should make some adjustments in order to improve in your running. Work hard, rest hard, be consistent. You'll get there.

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Have questions? I'd love to help! Ask in the comments or join the conversation and "Ask the Trainer" for your question to be featured in a future blog post. 

Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Ask the Trainer: Open Invitation to Submit Your Questions

Happy Friday, Friends. If you have been following along you know that I have been working on a blog series 'Running A-to-Z' where I cover a running-related topic in the order of the alphabet. Every Monday I publish a new Running A-to-Z post. It's been a great way for me to stay inspired week after week to provide you with helpful content. I hope you have been enjoying it. 

As I worked on my weekly alphabet post I realized that after 26 weeks this series will be over. I just published Q is for Quotes -Motivational Running Quotes and only have nine shorts weeks before I reach the end of the alphabet. 

I considered running (pun intended) through the alphabet again, this time choosing a new topic for each letter, but I thought it might be more fun to answer your questions each week. 

ask the trainer

I'd love to know your fitness, strength training or running related problems or questions. What can I help you with? Each week I will choose a question and answer it in a blog post. If I use your question in a post, I will link back to your website, social media handle or you can choose to remain anonymous. 

So, friends. Tell me. What are your burning questions? I would love to help! Fill in the form below or follow this link to ask your questions.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. I can't wait to start answering your questions. 

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Running A-to-Z Q is for Running Quotes

Welcome to another edition of Running A-to-Z. I am having a blast writing these posts each week, covering a running-related topic following the order of the alphabet. If you missed any past Running A-to-Z posts you can catch up on letters A-P in the archives. 

In these posts we talk a lot about running technique, tips and tricks, but sometimes what we need is a dose of motivation. Q is for Quotes. I've compiled a list of my top 10 favorite running quotes and even included my own at the end.

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

— John Bingham

“Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.”

— Tim Noakes

“I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.”

— Dean Karnazes

“I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.”

— Ronald Rook

“But I also realize that winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.”

— Meb Keflezighi

“Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.”

— Amby Burfoot

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”

— John Bingham

“As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are”

— Joan Benoit Samuelson

“And, finally, I run because there’s no better way to see the sun rise and set.”

— Amby Burfoot

“I started running to lose a few pounds but I ended up finding myself. I set out to change my body but instead I changed my life. ”

— Lea Genders

What is your favorite running quote? 

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Why You Should Ditch the Scale and What You Should Do Instead

You know the feeling all too well. You did great last week. You worked out hard. Really hard. You worked out even when you didn't feel like it. Your food diary was glowing with good choices. You meal prepped like a boss. You skipped the lunch out with coworkers at the burger joint, packed a salad every day and ate a balanced healthy dinner every night. You skipped the candy jar and passed on the birthday cake. You killed it! But then you stepped on the scale and the number flashing up at you seemingly wasn't reflecting all your hard work from the week. Your heart sinks. What gives? 

IT TAKES TIME

A healthy weight loss goal is 1-2 pounds per week on average over time. Any more than two pounds per week and you are likely losing muscle along with fat which can be detrimental to your metabolism. 

A 1-2 pound per week goal doesn’t mean that you should expect to lose two pounds every single week. Weight loss rarely happens in a straight line. With exercise and a small reduction in calorie intake you can probably expect to lose between 12-20 pounds in 12 week period as an average. That doesn’t mean there won’t be weeks when you don’t lose any weight or even gain a pound on the scale. The important thing is to watch the downward trend over time rather than obsessing over the number week to week. 

Practice patience and consistency. Life is not a 12 week challenge. This isn’t the Biggest Loser, this is your life. (News stories were reporting that most of those contestants put the weight back on anyway due to the unhealthy way they lost it.)

DITCH THE SCALE IF:

You focus too much on the number on the scale from week to week.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD:

Be consistent with your healthy habits and lifestyle changes. Focus on the process. Give it time.

WEIGHT LOSS VS. FAT LOSS

The problem with focusing too much on a goal weight is that the scale only tells one small piece of the story. A mistake that a lot of people make is that they focus on weight loss rather than fat loss. Muscle and fat weigh exactly the same, of course. One pound of fat = one pound of muscle. However, muscle is much more dense and takes up a lot less space in your body. If you are losing fat but gaining muscle, the number on the scale may stay the same, but you may wear a smaller pant size. Focus on fat loss and lean muscle gains. Alter your body compensation by exercising and eating healthful foods. 

If you lose too much weight too quickly, you are almost certainly losing lean muscle along with fat. Someone who is too focused on scale weight may be thrilled to see a lower number but the truth is that it could be a bad thing if they are also losing muscle. 

DITCH THE SCALE IF:

You are more worried about weight loss than fat loss.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD:

Forget weight loss and focus on fat loss. Track your fat loss progress by measuring your body fat percentage and taking body measurements. Perform weight bearing exercises to build and preserve lean muscle and do a mixture of moderate and high intensity cardiovascular exercises to burn fat.

 

NON-SCALE VICTORIES

Some people decide on an arbitrary number they want to reach on the scale and won’t be satisfied until they reach it, but you can’t bully your body into cooperating with your unrealistic goals. If we focus on fat loss and other non-scale victories then we can find success regardless of the number on the scale. How do you feel? How well are you sleeping? How do your clothes fit? How are your energy levels? How has your athletic performance improved in sports and in life? Can you carry the groceries from the car to the house without trouble? Can you chase the kids (or dogs) around the back yard or climb the stairs without getting winded? These are all non-scale victories that deserve to be celebrated. What if you had positive responses to all the above questions but your scale weight stayed the same? That would be great because it would prove that your hard work is paying off. You are now healthier, more athletic with improved body composition. 

DITCH THE SCALE IF:

You can’t see past the scale to appreciate the successes in non-scale victories.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD:

Keep track of non-scale improvements as diligently as you are watching your scale weight.

In the end the number doesn’t matter. It’s great to have fat loss goals and fitness goals, but picking a number that you think you should weigh and then going after it by any means necessary is unhealthy. A healthier alternative is to learn to love movement, healthy foods and find joy in the process and see where it takes you.

People who have a healthy relationship with the scale should continue to use it as one of the many tools they use to track progress. However, if you struggle with scale or become obsessed or discouraged with your scale weight, then I recommend you ditch the scale and never look back. 

Any of this sound familiar? Any questions? Let me know in the comments. 

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Would you like help losing fat and building muscle? Check out my personal training services page. 

Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

BACK TO THE BASICS: RECOVERY AND FOUNDATION BUILDING PLAN

For workout Wednesday I have some bad news to share. I'm not perfect! Gasp! Shocking! I know. 

It happens to the best of us. I got injured. I know I talk a lot about injury prevention for runners here, but this wasn’t a running injury…but it is preventing me from running. If you’ve even been injured, you know it sucks.

I was working really hard on my pushups. I was progressing quickly. I was feeling so great and confident about it that I pushed my progression too quickly. I know better. Slow progression should always be the goal, but I got overconfident and pushed too far. I pulled a muscle.

This is real life and I am far from perfect. I made a mistake by pushing myself too hard but I was ready to take corrective action. After I realized I did some damage I immediately stopped lifting any weights. You don’t get better by pushing through, you get better by resting. After I hurt my arm, I started running more than usual. I still wanted to workout and instead of dwelling on what I couldn’t do, I decided to focus on what I could do. Besides I love to run, I didn’t think twice about it. 

But time had passed and it wasn’t getting any better, in fact, it seemed to be growing worse. My shoulders felt sore and tight all the time and that pain in my arm wasn’t going away. It occurred to me one day after a six mile morning run when I was in a lot of pain that the arm swinging motion from running was making the problem worse. If I was going to get better then I needed to rest it. Really rest it and that means no running. 

I spent about a week feeling sorry myself and not doing anything but my bare minimum goal of 10K steps day (which, by the way, is a lot harder when you don’t run). It's time to get over it. I decided that this is a great opportunity to get back to the basics. 

“I will focus on what I can do, not what I can’t do.”

What does that mean when you can’t lift weights or run? It means focusing on lower body, core exercises, balance, mobility and flexibility. It is a great opportunity to return to the basics and rebuild a strong foundation while my arm and shoulder heels. 

It will be frustrating to eliminate weights even from my lower body exercises. Lifting a water bottle with my left arm hurts so I have to be careful not to put any unnecessary pressure on it. Even holding a weight while performing lunges or squats will be too much. I am mentally prepared that this will feel like a giant physical step backwards, but to stay positive as to how consistent work on the basics will propel me forward in the future.

I am breaking out the BOSU ball to work on balance, foam rolling to work on mobility and flexibility and bodyweight exercises for hip, ab and glute strength. 

Who knows? Maybe this was a good thing. It is forcing me to take a step back and rebuild my foundation. Once my base is strong and balanced again and my arm is fully healed, and I will be in a better position to get stronger than ever. 

Stay positive, right? 

So what does that plan look like? It looks like a lot of exercise plans I have shared with you here, so I thought I would round up my best recovery and foundation building exercises.

FOAM ROLLING

Foam rolling plays an important role in muscle balance, injury prevention, mobility and flexibility.

PREHAB

I will need to regress some of these exercises as to not put any pressure on my arm or shoulders, but many of these will work in my recovery plan. Back to the basics of clam shells, hip raises and glute bridges for me.

LOWER BODY STRENGTH

There is always benefit in working on lower body strength and this is a great opportunity for me to focus on balance and unilateral strength since heavy weights are not an option.

CARDIO

Since running is not an option, I will continue to walk on the streets with hubby, but will also work on treadmill hills to increase the intensity of my walks. I think I should be able to do it without much arm motion. I will let you know how it goes. 

I know I can't push recovery any more than I could push progression, but I am hoping to be able to run again by the end of September. I am running the rock 'n' roll half marathon in Vegas in November and I will need the time to get back up to speed with my training. We'll see how it goes.

Next week for workout Wednesday, I will break out the BOSU ball to show you some fantastic effective balance and stability exercises. Despite my injury, I am looking forward to rebuilding and coming back stronger than ever. 

Have you ever felt my pain? Wish me well in the comments. Stay tuned next week for some fun on the BOSU ball.

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.